How to organize an optiMize Workshop
See also: Overview of the optiMize Challenge Welcome! This is our first in a series of articles we’re creating to capture the essence of optiMize in tangible pieces. We hope that these posts will help people understand how optiMize operates, why it operates that way, and what it takes to organize a Social Innovation Challenge at their own institution! Purpose The core of our Social Innovation Challenge is a series of five workshops throughout the year. In a broad sense, these workshops are compelling action-based skill building sessions for participants in the Challenge who are all at various stages in developing their own social impact project. Participants leave each workshop with tangible next steps and new energy for their work! How do we put on a event that serves so many students these individualized promises? We’ve compiled a list of what it means to host and attend an optiMize workshop, split into three categories– the optiMize workshop environment and culture, the content of the workshop, and the logistics of the workshop. Environment One of the most exciting things about an optiMize Workshop is that everyone from the Cohort and Core Organizing Team is there at once. This is one of the only times in the Challenge this happens, simply because there are so many people to be together at once! For this reasons, the Workshops are critical places to cultivate the optiMize community. Here are some of the things that go into making sure everyone feels welcomed and represented in our community: ' '''Selecting a great location' Location is an incredibly important element in making your optiMize Workshop unique and inspiring. Here are some things to keep in mind as you select your space: * Inspiring. '''It's hard to say exactly what makes a space inspiring, but you kind of just know it when you're in it. We try to scout locations 3-6 months before we need them, which gives us enough time to visit a few different places and feel which ones really make us feel inspired. * '''Non-Academic. '''We want to differentiate ourselves from other academic learning environments — who would want to spend their Sundays in class? To do this, allow people the opportunity to get up and move and give the space a relaxed feel. Participants and Core Organizers are free to stand up or walk around at any time. * '''Accessible. '''While this should be considered logistically as well– ensuring accessible buildings and rooms to hold the workshop in– there are considers to cultivate the community to be inclusive and accessible. Wear name tags (that include pronouns) and make sure water and the bathroom information is accessible to anyone who needs it! * '''Consistent. '''Starting a self-directed project is full of ambiguity and uncertainty, but knowing where to go for the next Workshop shouldn't be part of that. Pick a great location and stick with it for all 5 workshops in the year. '''Setting a great vibe It's hard to describe exactly what makes a great "vibe." But most of all, we want optiMize Workshops to be a place people love to be! We want people to feel positive energy and enjoy hanging out in the space, even before they've gotten into any specific educational content. A few ways to do this are: * Greeting people warmly. '''One way to do this is by being friendly greeters and conversation starters. The moment a Challenge participant enters an optiMize workshop, they are greeted by a Core Organizer. In fact, they might be greeted before they enter Workshop, but instead at the door of the building the workshop is being held in! Even though they workshops are held on Sunday mornings and participants or Organizers might be groggy, a smile and enthusiastic welcome and set the morning off to a great start! Core Organizers are sure to introduce themselves and warmly greet participants, whether the Organizers are outside the building welcoming people in, working the sign in table, or floating through the workshop space. Even if a Core Organizer is in the middle of setting up chairs or feeling time pressure to finish setting up, they are will still try their best to maintain a smile and friendly face so no one feels ignored or in the way. * '''Being conversation starters. '''Facilitating a comfortable environment goes beyond just the first entrance to the workshop, though. Many participants might not know anyone at the workshop and feel alone, and the Core Organizers can change those feelings by helping start conversations. Core Organizers try to connect people together, make introductions, and engage those who don’t have anyone to talk to in order to make a comfortable and friendly environment throughout the workshop. * '''Playing upbeat music. '''Throwing on an upbeat, laid back playlist while people arrive at the workshop or at times where there are breaks will keep the environment relaxed and fun! Our personal suggestion is the “optiMize Vibes” playlist on Spotify :-) '''Making the space healthy and nurturing * Providing healthy food. '''We want a workshop to be a time to immerse ourselves in our values and model the way we want to live. If the workshop is an aspirational place, it will rub off on all the participants and organizers of the event. We keep the space healthy and nurturing by providing healthy food, listening ears, and being kind! Content When we advertise our workshops to our Social Innovation Challenge participants, we primarily focus on communicating what the content of the workshops will be. These workshops allow for us to deliver skills and tools to the participants. Because they make up the core content of the Social Innovation Challenge, we have designed them to be most helpful as possible:' * '''Offer tools, not a rigid process. '''This isn’t like a class where you get tested on how well you complete tasks the teacher sets out. Every project is unique and you’re all at different stages in your work, so we aren’t here to tell you your priorities or chart a specific course for you. All we ask is that you take action, create tangible things, and respond to feedback as you go. optiMize events are here as a resource and support group to help you make your own decisions and develop your project as effectively as possible.' * '''Provide time to speak, listen, and socialize. While the activities and speakers are the main focus of our workshop, it’s important to allow time for participants to meet each other, ask questions to Core Organizers, and socialize. This can be done before or after the workshop, during lunch, and built into the schedule of the workshop (i.e. sharing ideas with people seated around you). This helps cultivate community! * Ensure participants walk away with something tangible they’ve created. Participants feel the worth and progress of a workshop when they walk away with a physical product of their time. Whether this is a written vision, a rudimentary prototype, a list of stakeholders, or the first few slides of their pitch deck, participants will feel like they have a place to start and build off of, and feel that their time at the workshop was well spent! Example Progression of Workshops It's important to maintain a logical progression of workshop themes. Our workshops typically follow the same progression in content. This is an order that is supposed to make sense to the progress of most teams, and even if the progression is “out of order” for some teams, we hope that they can still learn from and utilize the content. October: Visioning & Research focuses on explaining the optiMize Challenge to new participants, understanding your own motivations and beliefs, creating your vision and aspirations, and creating an initial research plan with secondary and primary research sources. We also help teams prepare for the first Mentor Check-in. November: Prototyping & Feedback focuses on creating a prototype and getting feedback. December: Staying Motivated January: Value Propositions February: Pitching & Storytelling The next step for teams will be to practice pitching then pitch for funding, and these skills will be critical for succeeding at that!''' Logistics '''Key Team Member Roles *Welcome Tablers *Greeters *Equipment Movers *Food Setup *A/V Monitors *MCs *Workshop Content Leaders Communication Category:Organizer Guides Category:How To Category:FAQ